This thread describes how to install a complete Operating System (FatDog), nVidia drivers and GPUGRID on to a 1GB or larger USB memory stick. The procedure is much easier than you might think.

Advantages:

Saves the cost of a hard drive.
Saves the cost of an operating system.
Saves the energy to run a hard drive.
Allows you to try Linux/Puppy/FatDog with no hard drive commitment what so ever.
It is fast, easy and fun.

FatDog64 is a complete 64 bit operating system that is under 200MB. Being so small it can run completely in RAM which makes it very fast. Best of all it is completely free.

Why not give it a go? No commitment is required. Nothing needs to be installed to your hard drive, in fact once you make a bootable disk you could unplug your hard drive and the system would still run just perfect.

Download and burn the FatDog64 ISO to a CD or DVD.
Boot from the optical disk, install the OS to a stick and save your settings.
Download nVidia drivers.
Set up the drivers first, reboot, and then download and run BOINC.

Steps in more detail:

Note: An nVidia GPU is required to run GPUGRID. 1GB of RAM or more should be available as well.

14) Download the nvidia driver pet by right clicking on "nvidia-260.19.21-for-510-only.pet" and then left clicking on "Save Link As" and then clicking on "Save". Pay attention to where it puts the file (defaults to "Downloads").***

15) On your local computer go to "nvidia-260.19.21-for-510-only.pet" which should most likely in the "Downloads" folder on the desktop and left click it. It will install automatically.

16)You might actually need to restart the entire computer rather than just the X-server GUI. Older versions (RC3) worked by just restarting the X-server but I don't think this works any longer.

NOTE: The nVidia driver must be installed and working before you go any farther, this might require you to install to a USB stick or HD before proceeding.

17) Use Firefox to download BOINC for 64 bit Linux from the BOINC download site. The BOINC site should auto detect the correct version automatically. Pay attention to where it puts the file.http://boinc.berkeley.edu/download.php

18) Right click on the BOINC file, go to properties and make the file executable by putting check marks in the "exec" boxes (left click in the box to make a check mark).

19) Left click on the .sh file, BOINC installs itself.

NOTE: Fatdog makes all downloaded files the property of the user, rather than the ROOT account. Errors may occur if a program owned by a regular user tries to modify a file belonging to ROOT. If this is an issue running BOINC from the downloads folder do the following:

19a) Move the BOINC folder from downloads to another folder, like "my-applications"

19b) Change the ownership of the folder my-applications and all sub folders and files using the console command "chown -R root:root /root/my-applications". The -R is for "recursive".

20) In the same folder you found the original install file there should now be a new folder named BOINC. Open the folder by left clicking and left click on "boincmgr".

That is it. The rest should be familiar to BOINC users (set up BOINC preferences and attach to GPUGRID).

**
(Thank you Toni)
4a. You will be left at the console. Enter the command "mp"
4b. An editor appears. Type ctrl-o and, when requested a file, enter /etc/X11/xorg.conf (respect capitals)
4c. In the "Device" section, add the following line
Driver "vesa"
4d. Save and exit (ctrl-q)
4e. Type "startx".
4f. This should put you on a low-res GUI from which you can resume with the following steps. After you install the proprietary nvidia drivers, the resolution will be fine.

***
These files may change names as they are updated. If you can't find the exact file look for a similar file name.

EDIT: Changed "CD" to "CD or DVD". FatDog is less than 200MB so it can easily fit on a CD but a blank DVD will also work just fine.

I saw Dotch a few weeks ago and though it looked interesting but never got around to checking it out.

Puppy Linux has been a favorite of mine for years now so it was natural to attempt to get Puppy working with BOINC/GPUGRID.

When my good friend BikerMatt sent me a 6 core CPU I built a system around the 1055T right away. I didn't have an empty spare hard drive laying around so I tried the normal 32 bit version of Puppy Linux which requires no hard drive. 32 bit Puppy worked for BOINC and Rosetta but it had several limitations:

1) The 32 bit version could not see all the system memory.
2) The 32 bit version was evidently compiled to use a max of 4 cores and the 1055T has 6 cores.
3) The 32 bit version could not run GPUGRID.

After some searching I found FatDog64 and I was very excited because FatDog had the potential to overcome all of the 32 bit version's deficiencies. When I saw that the nVidia driver was available as an easy to install "PET" package I knew I had to give it a try. I was thrilled to discover that FatDog64 did not have any of the 32 bit version's deficiencies.

I'm about to check out Dotch. At this point I'm wondering why Dotch needs to be roughly 3 times the size of FatDog?

BTW I'm not responsible for FatDog, I'm just the guy who got FatDog working with GPUGRID (which is easy/nothing). Kirk is the genius who took Barry's already awesome Puppy software and got it working on a 64 bit kernel.

I took the liberty to edit your post, but please PM me at your convenience so we can try to debug the unable-to-edit condition. I prefer not to start a new thread so the links pointing here will stay valid.

"PuppyPC" is now a completely different computer. The old system was an AMD 4000+ with a single GT240. The new system is diskless and is running an AMD Athlon(tm) II X2 250 (3.0GHz dual core) CPU and twin XFX GT240 video cards (thanks to BikerMatt for some of the hardware).

FatDog64 had no trouble at all with the dual video card setup.

One thing did give me a bit of a headache, the AZIO AWU354 wireless USB network adapter is evidently not directly supported. The AZIO AWU354's chipset is the Ralink RT2070. After a few failed attempts to get it working I gave up and installed a wireless PCI card and all is well.

Not sure why but it really gives me a thrill to see the system running so well with no hard drive...

I've been curious, but also hesitant. My PC's are very picky, after very many failed WU's while experimenting with Mint 8 Gnome/Kde, Ubuntu 10.04 Gnome/Kde/Xfce, Mint 9. I went back to Mint 8 Gnome & Kde.

I've been curious, but also hesitant. My PC's are very picky, after very many failed WU's while experimenting with Mint 8 Gnome/Kde, Ubuntu 10.04 Gnome/Kde/Xfce, Mint 9. I went back to Mint 8 Gnome & Kde.

Only problem is, I don't know if there is a fatdog-5.sfs needed to upgrade. Would doing this, if possible, be more bloated, but stable?

I assume you are thinking of upgrading with the idea of running GPUGRID? And that you need a 64-bit OS? I believe that the original versions of FatDog were 32-bit. The name FatDog by itself only indicates the addition of some larger popular applications that are common in full size distros but absent in Puppy (because Puppy is designed to be small). I suspect that the thread you linked to is talking about 32-bit software...

What you need to run GPUGRID is 64 bit software which is where FatDog-64 comes in. When I talk about FatDog I'm generally referring to the 64 bit version but there are earlier non-64 bit versions of FatDog. Sorry for the confusion.

Since FatDog64 will run from the CD in RAM there is no hard drive commitment what-so-ever. I can download FD-64, burn it, boot it, set it up, and have it running GPUGRID in less than half an hour. If you are running Fermi it might take a bit more effort and certainly your first time might take a bit longer but it is really simple to just try it, just to get an idea of what is possible on such a small OS.

I will try to lower my slightly OC'ed RAM that's set to 1066Mhz from an original 900Mhz, down to 800Mhz & see if that helps.

It's way too soon to say, but the longest a GPUGRID WU survived before changing from 1066Mhz to 800Mhz was under 4 minutes, now I'm past 13 minutes. One single "suggestion" or "request" if I may, is a PET for nvclock & BOINC when there's time for that ;-)

rosetta@home failed after 30min so did GPUGRID, Freehal@home still ticks. Maybe it's just the heat & rosetta@home fails on other PC's too, but I can't figure out how to install nvclock :-(
____________

For WCG (which only have x86 apps) you need to create a cc_config.xml file in the Boinc directory, open it as a text file and save it after adding the following lines,
<cc_config>
<options>
<alt_platform>i686-pc-linux-gnu</alt_platform>
</options>
</cc_config>

For WCG (which only have x86 apps) you need to create a cc_config.xml file in the Boinc directory, open it as a text file and save it after adding the following lines,
<cc_config>
<options>
<alt_platform>i686-pc-linux-gnu</alt_platform>
</options>
</cc_config>

I did this & got this message from WCG
Wed 14 Jul 2010 11:41:05 PM GMT+5 World Community Grid [error] App version has unsupported platform i686-pc-linux-gnu
Wed 14 Jul 2010 11:41:05 PM GMT+5 World Community Grid [error] No application found for task: i686-pc-linux-gnu 614 ; discarding

But downclocking the RAM did help a lot, & so did using Option "Coolbits" "4" I'd use "5" but my GPU is already OC'ed

We had a power outage which killed my RAM only machine. Normally it only takes a few minutes to boot, load the driver, install Boinc and get up and running again.

I took the power outage as an opportunity to try out FatDog 64 final (I was running rc3) and the new 256 series drivers (I was running the older 195 series drivers)and I couldn't get it to work. Curiously reverting back to rc3 and the 195 series drivers did the trick and the computer started like normal??

Anyhow for some reason the newer stuff does not install the same way and when you restart x (after loading the driver) it never comes back, not even with the xorgwizard command.

ThX ....100 percent occupancy))) fermi n cpu are never cooler))) room is very heatly, with my new love:D...How can I change GPU Occupancy?..I need more work to gpu n cpu is only prepair station for streamprocessorcity...How can I change this situation?...gpu is very lonely...only 57 Celsius...bud when I start furmark gpu temperature growth up 90C n ventilation on heatpipecooler transmute to turbine))....boinc dont warmth graphic?

It should be noted that I'm by far not an expert on all this. In fact I've got my system running in a weird hybrid mode because I couldn't figure out how to properly configure the GRUB boot loader. When trying to boot straight from the HD the system displays "error 15".

It would be nice to get this ironed out but in the mean time the system boots fine by starting from the CD and at some point (fairly early on) switching over to the information stored on the HD.

EDIT:

Got it all sorted out! System now boots straight from HD without a need for a CD to get it started. The issue was that the GRUB installer needs the HD to be UNMOUNTED in order to work properly. An incorrect error message was giving me fits.

Installing to a HD is similar to installing to USB but GRUB must be installed and configured in a separate step after the Universal Installer has finished.

If you are attempting to install FD64-511 to a HD make sure to save a copy of the GRUB configuration instructions that pop up. I think GRUB auto configures for a FULL HD install and must be modified for a FRUGAL HD install.

A new version of FatDog-64 is out. I'm still using 5.11 with the 260 series nVidia drivers but at some point I'll check out the new 5.21 FatDog with the new 280 series drivers. If someone else beats me to it please post here.

So I've been checking out the newest FatDog-64 and have decided to install it on my GTX-570 system as soon as I get the chance.

The newest FatDog-64 has monitoring software that checks to see if your internet connection is working and attempts to connect if it is not. This could be a good thing if it works on wireless. When the older versions drop off the wireless network they need to be connected manually (AFAIK) which can result in downtime. If the new version work as I suspect, this issue will be fixed!

The idea is that you can use your existing setup as it is now, and when you want to run Boinc (say overnight or at the weekends) boot to the USB stick which contains the Linux operating system and Boinc with GPUGrid, and whatever else you crunch for.
____________FAQ's

Does this BOINC-on-a-stick run instead of or alongside BOINC on my hard drive?

"Instead of" in that you can only boot from one or the other. Both will not run at the same time.

"Alongside" in that both can exist ready to go on the for the same computer. This is especially handy if you have Windows on your hard drive and don't want to load Linux on your hard drive. In such case you boot from your hard drive if you want Windows and you boot off the USB stick if you want FatDog64/BOINC.

GPUGRID on a stick is also ideal for setting up a new crunch box sans hard drive. With the high price of hard drives these days that could be a significant savings!

GPUGRID on a stick is also ideal for setting up a new crunch box sans hard drive. With the high price of hard drives these days that could be a significant savings!

This is not strictly true:

A 2011 study by Intel on the use of 45,000 SSDs reported an annualized failure rate of 0.61% for SSDs, compared to 4.85% for HDDs. "Validating the Reliability of Intel® Solid-State Drives". Intel. July 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2012.

Other studies say their failure are similar http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/213442/solid_state_drives_no_better_than_others_survey_says.html

BUT. Memory Stick! Original flash memory designs had very limited estimated lifetimes. You can check this everywhere.

From wikipedia: "Original flash memory designs had very limited estimated lifetimes. The failure mechanism for flash memory cells is analogous to a metal fatigue mode; the device fails by refusing to write new data to specific cells that have been subject to many read-write cycles over the device's lifetime. Premature failure of a "live USB" could be circumvented by using a flash drive with a write-lock switch as a WORM device, identically to a live CD. Originally, this potential failure mode limited the use of "live USB" system to special purpose applications or temporary tasks"

So if you do a stick reading and writing it will last very very little time and you will start have errors very soon.

Ahh, but the beauty of FatDog-64 is that it so small it will run completely in RAM. In fact neither a hard drive or a memory stick is strictly needed at all. The only thing the memory stick does is save your spot in the case of a power failure or crash. One could easily remaster FatDog-64 to include BOINC and the nVidia drivers and run in pure RAM mode with no permanent storage what so ever.

Optionally you could run on a memory stick at least until hard drive prices come back down.

FatDog64-521 comes with the "Frisbee" network manager. Frisbee automatically checks the network to insure that it is up which is a big improvement over the previous network manager. Once the old network dropped out you were done till you manually reset the network connection. With the new Frisbee network manager the network should reset itself.

Trouble is I've not been able to get Frisbee working with my wireless card. Been doing a little reading and plan to tackle this problem soon.

http://www.gpugrid.net/result.php?resultid=5500505 is running but remaining time is increasing the whole time so no idea how long (19:30hrs atm) this one will take on a Asrock 870 Extreme 3 / Phenom II X4 945 / GTX460FTW / 8GB DDR3 combo.

Bytheay : Is there no way to save the files/data, the Xdialog box shows every few minutes, automatically ?